Ile de France - West Attractions

Above the little town of Chevreuse on the river Yvette are the ruins of the Château de la Madeleine (towers of the 11th-12th C.). South of the church (12th-17th C., with a 12th C. tower) is the 12th C. doorway of the former priory of St-Saturnin.

6km/4mi south of Chevreuse is the sumptuously appointed 17th C. Château of Breteuil, set in a park designed by the famous landscape architect André Le Nôtre (1613-1700).

The Château of Rosny, west of Paris, built by one of Henry IV's ministers, is worth a visit for its fine furniture and its large and beautiful park.

In Mantes-la-Jolie (pop. 43,679), situated on the left bank of the Seine to the west of Paris, Henry recanted his Protestant faith for the second time: "Paris is well worth a mass".

The fine Gothic church of Notre-Dame (12th-14th C in Mantes-la-Jolie, which shows similarities with Notre-Dame in Paris, has doorways with sculptural decoration and a beautiful interior. In the choir is the 14th C Chapelle de Navarre.

Of the Château of Marly-le-Roi, west of Paris, the favorite residence of Louis XIV, nothing is left but the lines of the foundations, but the beautiful park has been preserved. Along the Musée- Promenade de Marly-le-Roi are reminders of the history of the Château, including its original plan. This was a favorite resort of writers and artists (Dumas, Sardou, Sisley, Pissarro, Maillol). In the Château de Monte-Cristo, built for Alexandre Dumas in 1846, is a small museum devoted to the writer.